Romney’s Russia comments frozen in time — or not?

Mitt Romney’s contention that Russia “without question is our No. 1 geopolitical foe” drew more response than just from TV commentators, who quickly dubbed it a “gaffe.”Dmitry Medvedev, the president of Russia, advised Romney and the other GOP hopefuls that the Cold War is long over and that the ultimate presidential candidate “must rely on reason, use their heads.
“It’s 2012, not the mid-1970s.”

Romney’s remarks came after President Obama was heard telling Medvedev on an open microphone that he would have more room to negotiate on missile defense if he’s re-elected in November.

The GOP thrived during the Cold War. Columnist David Sirota notes in his book, “Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in Now,” that much of contemporary Republican message is rooted in 1980s popular culture, including the “Make My Day” foreign policy of Republican icon Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

So commentators called Romney’s remarks “a gaffe,” and Medvedev said the GOP candidate’s comments “smacked of Hollywood.” So — a gaffe or a political calculation to give the Republican base a heavy dose of nostalgia for the good ol’ days?